Commercially available ultraviolet blocking agents typically include compounds such as para-aminobenzoic acid derivatives, benzotriazoles, benzophenones, methoxycinnamates and salicylates. Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) have also been identified as ultraviolet-absorbing agents. MAAs are small molecules of about 400 Da produced by organisms that live in environments with high volumes of sunlight, typically marine environments1. The structures of over 30 MAAs have been resolved and they contain a central cyclohexenone or cyclohexenimine ring as well as a wide variety of substitutions. The ring structure is thought to absorb ultraviolet light and accommodate free radicals2. MAAs absorb ultraviolet light, typically between 310 nm and 360 nm. It is this light absorbing property that allows MAAs to protect cells from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Biosynthetic pathways of specific MAAs depend on the specific MAA and the organism that is producing it. These biosynthetic pathways often share common enzymes and intermediates with other major biosynthetic pathways.
Useful ultraviolet absorbing agents such as the ones mentioned above must meet various criteria including stability, acceptable permanence, efficacy, compatibility with the media with which they are to be mixed or be incorporated into, non-toxicity and not harmful to the surface onto which they are to be applied. These criteria limit the choice of ultraviolet protecting agents available to be used in various applications. Therefore, there remains a need in the art for additional agents that meet these criteria, that absorb ultraviolet radiations and that protect biological and non-biological materials against the harmful damages caused by ultraviolet radiations and that are easy to prepare.